United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights facts for kids

The United Nations Human Rights Prizes are special awards given by the United Nations. They honor people and groups who have done amazing things to protect and promote human rights. Human rights are basic rights and freedoms that belong to everyone, everywhere. These prizes celebrate those who help make sure everyone has these rights, as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The UN started these prizes in 1966. The first awards were given out on December 10, 1968. This date is important because it was the 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is now known as Human Rights Day. Since then, the prizes have been given out every five years, except for one time in 1983. By December 2018, 64 awards had been given. Nine of these were given to people after they had passed away, including four who were sadly murdered while working for human rights.

A special committee chooses the winners. This committee includes important leaders from different parts of the UN, like the president of the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council. Since 1998, the awards have been announced by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The award itself is a metal plaque. It has the UN symbol and a special design, with words praising the winner. Unlike the Nobel Prizes, which come with money, the UN Human Rights Prizes are not about money. They are about recognizing great work.

Celebrating Human Rights Heroes

The UN Human Rights Prizes have honored many brave and dedicated people and organizations over the years. Each award ceremony marks an important anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

1968 Prizewinners: The First Awards

The very first awards were given in December 1968, celebrating 20 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

René Cassin was one of the first winners.

• Manuel Bianchi, a human rights leader from Chile.
• René Cassin, a key person in creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from France.
• Albert Luthuli (awarded after his death), a leader of the African National Congress in South Africa.
• Mehrangiz Manouchehrian, a lawyer and senator from Iran.
• Petr Emelyanovich Nedbailo, a human rights expert from Ukraine.
• Eleanor Roosevelt (awarded after her death), a former First Lady of the United States and a strong supporter of human rights.

1973 Prizewinners: 25 Years of Human Rights

The second awards were given in December 1973, marking 25 years since the Declaration.

• Taha Hussein (awarded after his death), a literature professor from Egypt.
• C. Wilfred Jenks (awarded after his death), a director-general from the United Kingdom.
• María Lavalle Urbina, a lawyer and lecturer from Mexico.
• Abel Muzorewa, a president from Rhodesia.
• Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the prime minister of Mauritius.
• U Thant, the UN Secretary-General from Burma.

1978 Prizewinners: 30 Years of Progress

The third awards were presented in December 1978.

Helen Suzman was a strong voice against apartheid.

• Begum Ra'Ana Liaquat Ali Khan, who worked to improve the lives of women in Pakistan.
• Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, a UN High Commissioner for Refugees from Iran.
• Martin Luther King Jr. (awarded after his death), a famous leader of the American civil rights movement.
• Helen Suzman, an anti-apartheid activist and politician from South Africa.
• International Committee of the Red Cross, a global organization helping people in conflict.
• Amnesty International, a worldwide movement working to end human rights abuses.
• Vicariate of Solidarity, a group from Chile.
• National Union of Tunisian Women, a women's rights organization from Tunisia.

1988 Prizewinners: 40 Years of the Declaration

The fourth awards were given in December 1988.

Winnie Mandela, a South African activist.

• Baba Amte, a human rights lawyer from India.
• John Peters Humphrey, who helped write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from Canada.
• Adam Lopatka, a president of the Supreme Court from Poland.
• Leonidas Proaño, a Roman Catholic bishop from Ecuador.
• Nelson Mandela, a lawyer and statesman from South Africa.
• Winnie Mandela, a medical social worker and activist from South Africa.

1993 Prizewinners: 45 Years of Dedication

The fifth awards were presented in December 1993.

• Hassib Ben Ammar, president of human rights groups in Tunisia.
• Erica-Irene Daes, who chaired a UN group on indigenous peoples, from Greece.
• James P. Grant, executive director of UNICEF, from the United States.
• International Commission of Jurists, a group of legal experts.
• Medical personnel of the Central Hospital of Sarajevo, honored for their bravery during conflict.
• Sonia Picado Sotela, a vice-president of a human rights court, from Costa Rica.
• Ganesh Man Singh, a supreme leader of Nepal.
• Sudanese Women's Union, a women's rights group from Sudan.
• Julio Tumiri Javier, who founded a human rights assembly in Bolivia.

1998 Prizewinners: Half a Century of Human Rights

The sixth awards were given in December 1998, marking 50 years of the Declaration.

Jimmy Carter, former U.S. President.

• Sunila Abeysekera, an executive director from Sri Lanka.
• Angelina Acheng Atyam, who founded a parents' association in Uganda.
• Jimmy Carter, a statesman and former president of the United States.
• José Gregori, a human rights secretary from Brazil.
• Anna Šabatová, who founded a human rights group in the Czech Republic.
• All human rights defenders around the world, recognized for their courage.

2003 Prizewinners: 55 Years of Action

The seventh awards were presented in December 2003.

• Enriqueta Estela Barnes de Carlotto, president of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina.
• Mano River Women's Peace Network, a group promoting peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
• Family Protection Project Management Team from Jordan.
• Deng Pufang, chairman of a disabled persons' federation in China.
• Shulamith Koenig, executive director of a human rights education movement from the United States.
• Sérgio Vieira de Mello (awarded after his death), a UN Special Representative who was murdered in Iraq, from Brazil.

2008 Prizewinners: 60 Years of the Declaration

The eighth awards were given in December 2008.

Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan.

• Louise Arbour, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from Canada.
• Benazir Bhutto (awarded after her death), a former prime minister of Pakistan.
• Ramsey Clark, a former Attorney General from the United States.
• Dr. Carolyn Gomes of Jamaicans for Justice.
• Dr. Denis Mukwege, a co-founder of a hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Sr. Dorothy Stang (awarded after her death), a Roman Catholic nun who was murdered in Brazil.
• Human Rights Watch, a leading international human rights organization.

2013 Prizewinners: 65 Years of Progress

The ninth awards were presented in December 2013.

• Biram Dah Abeid, who works to end slavery in Mauritania.
• Hiljmnijeta Apuk, a campaigner for the rights of people of short stature from Kosovo.
• Liisa Kauppinen, President Emeritus of the World Federation of the Deaf from Finland.
• Khadija Ryadi, former President of a human rights association in Morocco.
• Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico.
• Malala Yousafzai, a schoolgirl from Pakistan shot by the Taliban for attending school, who became a global advocate for education.

2018 Prizewinners: 70 Years of Human Rights

The tenth awards were given in December 2018.

• Asma Jahangir (awarded after her death), a human rights lawyer from Pakistan.
• Rebeca Gyumi, an activist for the rights of women and girls from Tanzania.
• Joênia Wapixana, an activist for the rights of indigenous communities from Brazil.
• Front Line Defenders, an organization from Ireland that protects human rights defenders.

2023 Prizewinners: Recent Honorees

The eleventh awards were presented in December 2023.

• Viasna Human Rights Centre, from Belarus.
• Julienne Lusenge, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, from Jordan.
• Julio Pereyra Sánchez, from Uruguay.
• Global Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements, and Local Communities for the Universal Recognition of the Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment, a global group working for environmental rights.

See also

In Spanish: Premio de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas para niños